Cabinet Communique- Austria-06-Feb-2000

The Cabinet, yesterday (Sunday), 6.2.2000, released the following statement: The Government of Israel expresses its deep concern at the establishment of the new government in Austria, which includes representatives of the radical right-wing party led by Joerg Haider as one of its main components.

The Government of Israel believes that its task and duty is to stand at the forefront of the nations of the world and warn against such a serious phenomenon a Western government that includes neo-Nazi elements. The historical lesson of the Holocaust era teaches us that such phenomena cannot be accepted and have no justification and that words of conciliation which mask an ideology espousing racism and hatred cannot be believed. Such phenomena must be thoroughly uprooted. This is a black day for Austrian democracy and a sad day for the family of free nations. The Government of Israel calls on the enlightened nations of the world to denounce and condemn this phenomenon.